Tag: articular cartilage repair

The regenerative medicine company Regeneus Ltd announced this week that the Australian Football League or AFL has decided to approve, on a case-by-case basis, the use of its innovative HiQCell stem cell therapy as an optional treatment for injured AFL players. Football (soccer) players tend to suffer from impact-related osteoarthritis and tendonitis.

Regeneus’ Commercial Development Director for Human Health, Steve Barbera, said, “It’s pleasing that HiQCell has been approved under the new AFL Prohibited Treatments List released in March 2014. HiQCell also received clearance as an approved therapy from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) for use with athletes who participate in sporting competitions subject to the WADA Anti-Doping Code, including the AFL. This recent decision by the AFL demonstrates a further level of compliance, specifically for players within that sporting code.”

Regeneus’ HiQCell treatment is the only stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis that has been subjected to the highest level of clinical scrutiny. A double-blind placebo-controlled safety trial is the gold standard for clinical trials. The particular clinical trial to which HiQCell treatments were subjected showed that HiQCell is safe and it reduces pain and halts cartilage degradation in arthritic joints. Additionally, the ongoing effects of HiQCell are being tracked in over 380 patients in an independent ethics-approved registry. A recent registry update demonstrated that patients are maintaining significant improvements 2 years after their treatment.

HiQCell has already been used to treat several high-profile athletes across several sporting codes, including the National Rugby League, which was announced on May 7th, 2014. It is encouraging for Regeneus that elite sports patients can use their HiQ therapy to much quickly return to sports from hard-to-treat injuries and continue their playing careers after receiving this innovative therapy.

Dr Phil Bloom, a Melbourne based Specialist Sports and Exercise Physician and HiQCell treating medical practitioner, said, “permission from the AFL for HiQCell treatment is a positive progression as it allows for an additional option for players with conditions that are unresponsive to existing treatments”.

The HiQCell treatment uses stem cells harvested from a small amount of a patient’s fat. After separating and concentrating these regenerative cells, they are re-injected in osteoarthritic-affected joints such as knees, hips and ankles. The HiQCell treatment reduces inflammation and repairs damaged tissue when it is carried out under the supervision of a medical practitioner.